Wonderfully Made women 'beLoved' by God

By Kathleen Grohman

Even the air in the California Mission Room felt open and accepting, as if each woman was breathing in the smiles and reassuring nods of the group around her, radiating the theme of the night: "beLoved."

Wonderfully Made, the club hosting the seminar, is a budding Christian organization for college women and was founded by a Santa Clara alumna.

One of the central struggles of people's lives is learning to love and accept themselves. The "beLoved" seminar illustrated the happiness that comes from a group of people who have succeeded in doing just that and now want to show every woman that she is loved and valued by God, participants said.

Wonderfully Made was founded by Allie Berthold, who graduated from Santa Clara last year and is currently writing a book based on her experiences with the women of Wonderfully Made. Although Santa Clara is the first fully active chapter, chapters are beginning on many other college campuses, including Illinois Wesleyan, Northwestern and University of California, Santa Barbara.

Junior and Co-Director Kayla Mertes gave the group international footing by hosting meetings in Paris, Buenos Aires and Germany while she was studying abroad.

But what makes Wonderfully Made special comes more from what it means to its members than its growing recognition. Junior Co-Director Briana Pettigrew described the group's message as "going against what we hear in the media: that you're not right, that there's something wrong with you. You're ugly, you're fat -- whatever."

"It's a safe place where you can come, have Bible study, learn why you are loved and valued and why you should love and value yourself," Pettigrew said.

Pettigrew, who got involved with Wonderfully Made at the beginning of her sophomore year after she didn't quite find what she was looking for in Santa Clara's Core Christian Fellowship program, a co-ed group, credits the group with preventing her from transferring.

"I went to a meeting, and it was amazing," she said. "Immediately I knew that I could spend a lot of time with these girls."

Pettigrew calls the women good people that let her feel like she can say what she wants. She attributes part of the groups success to its single-sex nature. "A lot of Christian groups are co-ed, and there are different things that girls deal with that guys don't deal with," she said.

That's not to say that men are excluded from the Wonderfully Made program, but Pettigrew said they don't come often. In fact, Berthold is looking into creating a male counterpart in response to interest expressed from men in the Core Christian Fellowship.

Mertes, who hosts the weekly "Healthy Eating, Abundant Living" program, said that Wonderfully Made is "open for every girl and it's all about loving who you are and being a woman."

The HEAL program is designed to help women develop a positive attitude toward food and their bodies by making God the center of their lives, according to the Wonderfully Made Web site.

"I no longer need to struggle with body image problems and total alienation and just lack of self esteem that so many girls struggle with," said Mertes.

Mertes said Wonderfully Made hopes to "spread the word of God: that he has chosen you and loves you." She nodded and said with conviction, "Every girl deserves to know that she is loved."

She smiled when reflecting on what Wonderfully Made has taught her. "I have learned my true value and worth as a daughter of God and that He delights in me, loves me, calls me beautiful."

"beLoved" featured several guest speakers who reflected on the way they discovered God's love for them and how that discovery has helped them through the struggles in their lives. It also included musician Becky Johnson, an up-and-coming artist who has opened for some well-known performers, including Howie Day and The Wreckers.

Johnson came on stage with only her guitar and a microphone, but her compelling voice did not need back up.

She explained the significance of each original song before performing it. Her second set consisted of worship songs during which she invited the audience to stand and sing along.

This seminar is the largest event that Wonderfully Made hosts during the year. Last year, the theme was "Far Above Rubies and Pearls."

The women were thrilled about the larger turnout this year -- roughly 100 participants in the seminar -- and encourage anyone interested to come to one of the HEAL meetings.

"A lot of girls are afraid of a big group of girls together talking about God," said Pettigrew. "I was nervous the first meeting that I had."

But a newcomer could not find a more welcoming group, Pettigrew said. "One of the coolest things about this group is that we accept everyone," she said.

"We want everyone to experience what we're experiencing in this group and to learn what we're learning in this group."

Contact Kathleen Grohman at (408) 551-1918 or kgrohman@scu.edu.